In 1942, the USSR produced more tanks and artillery pieces than Germany, despite losing a significant portion of its industrial base.
This stands as one of the most striking achievements of the war. By early 1942, with the Germans at the gates of Moscow and Leningrad, and a large part of the pre-war industry lost or moved, the Soviet military industry successfully reorganized production and reached output levels that surpassed Germany’s in key weapon categories: tanks and artillery.
This outcome was possible due to several factors:
the successful relocation meant evacuated factories quickly ramped up production;
the entire economy was mobilized for war, prioritizing military output;
there was significant standardization and simplification in the design of military equipment (like the T-34 tank, Il-2 aircraft, ZiS-3 artillery gun), allowing for rapid mass production and reduced labor intensity;
and workers, including a huge number of women and teenagers (as in point 3), toiled tirelessly for 12-14 hours a day.
This production surge provided the material foundation for Victory. It allowed the Red Army to be supplied with the necessary equipment and make up for the losses suffered in the early stages of the conflict. Without this quantitative edge in machinery, stopping and then defeating the Wehrmacht would have been impossible.
